It is natural for our chiquitos to play with the sounds of language and for us to play along. If you have little ones, you probably find yourself silabeando together – pronouncing words syllable by syllable.

In Spanish, syllables define how to read, spell and accentuate words. Because syllables are so important, they are the basis for learning to read. In English, children learn to “sound out” individual letter sounds, but in Spanish children “sound out” syllables.

Being able to separate words into syllables is an important prereading skill, so activities that help children learn to divide words by syllables get them ready to read. Also, syllable games are divertidos!  Try simple ones like these:

- Clap out the syllables in a word, with one clap for each syllable.

- Chant words and phrases in time with your steps (ca-mi-na-mos).

- Recite rimas de sorteo, or counting-out rhymes, to start a game, choose between two things, or just for fun. Tin Marín is probably the best known rima de sorteo, but you might want to try these other short rhymes:

El cielo es azul.
¿Cuántos años tienes tú?

Zapatito blanco, zapatito azul.
Dime ¿cuántos años tienes tú?

Manzana, manzana
manzana podrida.
Uno, dos, tres, salida.

En la casa de Andrés
todos cuentan hasta tres.
Uno, dos y tres.

En la casa de Francisco
todos cuentan hasta cinco.
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro y cinco.

Counting the number of syllables in a word is another way to practice this important prereading skill. Try these simple games with your niños:

-Take turns choosing a number (1, 2 or 3) and finding something in the room with that number of syllables.

-Choose a number and alternate saying words with that number of syllables.

-Play Veo, veo (I Spy) and give information about the number of syllables to help your child guess: Veo algo verde con dos sílabas.

- Sort pictures by the number of syllables. Click here for a printable Cuenta sílabas game with pictures. To play, cut out the pictures. Take turns choosing one and putting it in the correct place on the game board. The number of stars indicates the number of syllables.

The structure of Spanish makes it natural to use syllables to learn to read. Parents can help prepare children for that important step jugando y silabeando juntos.

Special thanks to Spanish Playground for providing this article. Visit their site for more activities to teach Spanish to kids.

Special thanks to Terri on Facebook for sharing this video with us.

The 4-minute video takes us into the lives of a family that has made the decision to enroll their twins into a dual immersion program in San Rafael Elementary in Pasadena, CA.

The beauty of the story is that the parents don’t speak Spanish, yet recognize the importance of a bilingual upbringing for their kids.

The girl, Abby, and her twin brother are in second grade and you will smile when you hear them speaking beautiful Spanish and even teaching it to their parents.

The video is part of a project from Go Public: A Day in the Life of PUSD whose mission is to “be a two-hour video document of one entire day in the Pasadena Unified School District. Pasadena is a racially and economically diverse community in Southern California with 28 public school campuses. Go Public will tell the story of one full day from sun up to long after sundown.” Learn more and support Go Public here.

2nd Grade Student in Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program from Go Public on Vimeo.